Construction of flooring and sheathing



W. J. CONWAY.

AND SHEATHING. No. 340,559. PatentedApnTT, 1886.

ii Jiiaraey UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

XV ILSON J. OON\VAY, OF MILXVAUKEE, \VISGONSIN.

CONSTRUCTION OF FLOORING AND SHEATHING.

IiiECH-"ICATION forming part of Letters Patent 340,559, dated April 27, 1826. Application filed June 8, 1885. Serial No. 167,971. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LWILsoN J. CONWAY, of Milwaukee, Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Construction of Flooring and Sheathing; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full,elear,and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it per tains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form apart of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of iniproved flooring and sheathing which serves as an exterior finish; and its object is a dooring or sheathing ventilated in such manner as to prevent warping and like defects, and tongued and grooved, so as to permit of its use and shipment without damage to the material, and so that it can be attached to any foundation commonly constructed forsuch purposes.

In the accompanying drawings like letters refer to the same parts in each figure.

Figure l is a, cross-sectional end view of my improved flooring or sheathing. Fig. 2 is a perspective plan view,inverted,of section A of said flooring or sheathing.-

A is a section of my improved flooring or sheathing, provided with a tongue and groove upon its opposite edges, extending the entire length of the edges of the material used, pro vided, further, with the concave gutter B, extending the entire length of the under side of the material used.

The tongue, 0, shown in the drawings is beveled, with its upper side, 0, being on a plane, of such construction that the head of the nail D, peg, or screw used in fastening section A to its foundation C,when driven at the proper angle and countersunk, allows the head of the'nail, screw, or peg to be brought flush with the surface of the upper side of the tongue without injury to said tongue from splitting or crushing, as is the case of commonly-prepared flooring. The under side of the tongue is also beveled, as at d, the shoulders a a being on aperpendicular with each other. The tongue 0 can be constructed so as to constitute a V-shaped tongue; but on account of its being difficult to ship strips of such construction without damage from breakage, I

prefer the obtuse'shaped tongue shown herein. The groove 0 could also be shaped to correspond with atongue so V-shaped; but itis objectionable for the reason last mentioned.

The groove 0, as shown in the drawings, extends entirely along the edge of strip A, opposite to the edge possessing the tongue, and is beveled and grooved in such manner as to admit the tongue 0, making a perfectly close joint. The tongue being beveled as shown brings the upper sides of the strips A to an even surface, doing away with all planing of the floor after it is laid,as usually requisite with common flooring.

, B is a shallow gutter or concave groove extending the entire length of under side of the strip A,'l'ormed by the cutting awayof one-half of the under surface of the strip A, the center of the groove B being the center of the under side of the strip A, the groove B being of such depth as to allowof a circulation of air under the floor between the flooring or sheathing and thefoundati'on to which it is attached, but not deep enough to in any wise weaken the flooring or sheathing in its sustaining power or quality.

The groove 13, which forms the means of ventilation, can be superseded by a series of small grooves or corrugations,and ventilation obtained in that manner; but the plan hereby presented has been found by me to be the most practical.

My improved flooring or sheathing is n1anipulated and handled in the same manner and secured to any foundation adapted to the use of flooring or sheathing is usually applied to what is known as matched flooring or sheathing,and contains great improvements over the ordinary matched flooring or sheathing, by reason of the construction of and use of the groove B, which forms a means of ventilation, whereby the floors or other surfaces which are or may be constructed of my improved flooring or sheathing are kept dry, of a more even temperature, and free from warping and turning up of the edges of the strips or sections employed.

I am aware that certain other flooring or sheathing possessing certain improvements over the common tongued-and-grooved flooring or sheathing has been constructed, but in no wise possessing any of the peculiar advanstrips or sections of wood A, tongued and tages contained in my invention. grooved, and guttered with the convex gutter Having described my invention, I seek and or groove B on the under side of said strips, c1aiin laid contiguous to each other, and fastened to 1 1. An improved flooring or sheathing, conthe foundation 0 by nailing or fastening the sisting of strips or sections of wood,A, tongued strips or sections A in the manner and for the and grooved, and guttered with the convex purposes herein contained. gutter or groove 13 on the under side of said WILSON J. CONYVAY. strips, as and for the purposes herein con- Witnesses:

1o tained. J. M. W. PRATT,

2. A floor or sheathing constructed of the GEORGE LADENDORF. 

